Method and apparatus for adjusting device persona

ABSTRACT

A system that incorporates the subject disclosure may obtain presence information associated with a plurality of communication devices of a user, obtain operational capability information and usage profiles for the plurality of communication devices, obtain state information for each of the plurality of communication devices, and adjust a first device persona of a first communication device based on the presence information, the operational capability information, the usage profiles, and the state information. Other embodiments are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for adjusting adevice persona.

BACKGROUND

Users often have multiple communication devices with overlappingcapabilities. These capabilities are not always the same, such asdifferent formatting, different communication protocols, differentresolution, different display size and so forth. User preferences cansometimes dictate which device to utilize for a particular mediaservice. However, other factors may also exist which are not accountedfor by a pre-defined user preference.

As the number of devices of a user grows, the number of choices for theuser with respect to utilizing the device also grows. The interactionbetween these devices becomes more complex.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication systemincluding a group of communication devices associated with a user orgroup of users that enables device persona adjustments;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of another communicationsystem including a group of communication devices that enable devicepersona adjustment;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method for device personaadjustment operating in portions of the system described in FIGS. 1 and2;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system thatprovides media services including device persona adjustment;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device thatcan adjust its own device persona; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments for enabling one or more device personas to adapt to thepresence, capabilities, state, and/or usage patterns of other end userdevices. The exemplary embodiments enable device personas to adapt asother end user devices evolve or otherwise change such as through howthey are being used, how their capabilities have improved or diminished,new devices that are available, user preferences and so forth.

In one embodiment, a group of communication devices associated with auser can share various information with each other or with a subset ofthe group, so that device personas can be collectively adjusted. In thisexample, functionality can be designated to preferred devices among thegroup based on various learned factors, such as user preferencesdetected via monitoring usage patterns of the group of devices. Otherfactors can also be utilized in identifying preferred devices amongstthe group of device for performing particular functions such asidentifying devices with optimum capabilities and/or resources forperforming the particular function, identifying devices that areotherwise busy (e.g., engaged in an active communication session),identifying devices with limited battery power, limited storage capacityand/or limited signal strength, and so forth.

In one or more embodiments, in order for a device persona to adapt toother devices it should first be aware of the other devices and/or otherpersonas. The identification of other devices can be accomplished in anumber of different ways which may change with new technologies. In oneembodiment, incorporated into persona capable devices (or stored/backedup in the cloud) can be a system for recording all other identified userdevices. In another embodiment, a user can enter new devices manually orthe new devices can be detected by a device using any number of methodssuch as wireless signals (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, and so forth),bone conduction, visual identification (e.g., Google glasses capturing aconnected device on the user's wrist in an image or video).

In one or more embodiments, responsive to new devices having beenidentified, their specifications can be accessed or otherwise learned.For example, the specifications and/or capabilities of a device can beentered manually by the user. In another embodiment, the specificationsand capabilities of each device can be accessed from a remoteinformation source such as via a search on the internet based on a modelof the device. In another embodiment, the device(s) can provide itsdevice specifications and capabilities to other devices. Thesespecifications and capabilities can be stored in the system indexed tothe device identification. This can enable device personas to determinehow their usage might change if one or more other devices are present.An example is where a smartphone is being used to watch a movie, but ifa tablet becomes present (e.g., a user arrives home) with sufficientbattery power the smartphone may no longer be the preferred device forsuch an activity. However, there may be situations in which a user mayprefer to watch the movie on the smartphone and these situations can beaccounted for via the exchange of information among the group of userdevices. There may also be users that prefer watching movies onsmartphones rather than tablets all of the time which is also accountedfor via sharing usage data among the group of user devices including thesmartphone and the tablet.

In one or more embodiments, device usage data can be shared amongst thegroup of user devices or amongst a subset of the group. This sharing canbe performed periodically (or according to a pre-defined schedule and/orcan be performed dynamically such as responsive to device usage changesthat meet a certain threshold such as detecting that a smartphone hasbeen used to watch more than one hour of a high definition movie. Bysharing the usage data on a regular basis, the group of devices cantrack changes amongst the group and also identify new trends.

One aspect of a device persona is how the device is being used. This canbe information that each device can learn over time and can then sharewith the other devices of the group so that individual device personascan become more customized and specific to the relationship between theuser and the device(s). For instance, as one device is used it may tracknumerous aspects of the device experience including date, time,location, persona, application/content, and so forth. The type andquantity of information gathered by a device may only be limited by itssensors and its connections to other sensors. This data may be pooledwith data from other devices to build a usage profile for each devicepersona. In this way each device persona for each device can learn itsrole and customize itself accordingly. Device personas can control orotherwise be indicative of the functions that the particular deviceperforms, where those functions can be exclusive (e.g., a designateddevice for presenting high-definition movies) or can be non-exclusive(e.g., a prioritized list for establishing a video conference call wherethe first preferred device is a set top box, the second preferred deviceis a mobile phone). As device usage changes, the roles of the devicesmay change and this regular exchange of usage data can enable the devicepersonas to evolve or otherwise be adjusted with the user's habits andpatterns.

Another factor that can be monitored or otherwise determined in order toadjust the roles of devices among the group of devices is the currentstate of the devices. The state of each device may affect the devicepersonas of the other devices. If another device is present, but isnearly out of battery charge then it is the equivalent of not beingpresent at all. Devices may communicate a number of different aspects oftheir current state to other devices such as current activity, remainingcharge, remaining storage space, active and inactive connections,connection bandwidth, signal strength, and so forth. The stateinformation can be communicated frequently, such as according to apre-defined schedule or based on a state change at a device. Forinstance, a state change at a device can be identified as a significantchange that should be communicated to the other devices because thestate change alters the ability of the particular device to perform atypical role, such as the battery power of a mobile device falling belowa 20 percent threshold where the mobile device has taken on a devicepersona that includes the role of being a preferred device forpresenting high definition movies. As the state changes (or right beforethey change in the case of a forced shutdown due to a loss of power),each device may provide updates to other devices so that personas may beadapted as appropriate.

The method and device(s) of the exemplary embodiments enable adaptationof individual device personas according to the presence, operationalcapabilities, state, usage patterns, and so forth of other devices. Thisenables device personas to evolve to better match the user as well asthe context or circumstances. Device personas can be adjustedindividually by the device itself and/or can be adjusted based on amaster/slave relationship such as having a primary device (e.g., amobile device) which can determine its own device persona as well as thedevice person for one or more of the other user devices. In theexemplary embodiments, device personas can behave collaboratively likemembers of a small community. They are each a distinct entity, but canalso all be thought of as a single entity for purposes of deliveringmedia services to a user.

Other embodiments are included in the subject disclosure.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure is a method that includesobtaining, by a first communication device including a processor,presence information associated with a plurality of communicationdevices, where the first communication device and the plurality ofcommunication devices are associated with a user. The method can includeobtaining, by the first communication device, operational capabilityinformation for the plurality of communication devices. The method caninclude generating, by the first communication device, a first usageprofile for the first communication device based on monitoring firstactivity at the first communication device, where the first activitybeing monitored includes first media consumption and first communicationsessions, and where the monitoring of the first activity includesidentifying time and location data for the first activity. The methodcan include obtaining, by the first communication device, other usageprofiles for the plurality of communication devices, where each otherusage profile is generated by one communication device of the pluralityof communication devices based on monitoring other activity at the onecommunication device, where the other activity being monitored includesother media consumption and other communication sessions, and whereinthe monitoring of the other activity includes identifying time andlocation data for the other activity. The method can include obtaining,by the first communication device, state information for each of theplurality of communication devices. The method can include adjusting, bythe first communication device, a first device persona of the firstcommunication device based on the presence information, the operationalcapability information, the other usage profiles, and the stateinformation, where the first device persona controls functions performedby the first communication device. The method can include transmittingthe first usage profile from the first communication device to theplurality of communication devices.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a communication deviceincluding a memory to store executable instructions, and a processorcoupled with the memory, where the processor, responsive to executingthe executable instructions, performs operations that include obtainingpresence information associated with a plurality of communicationdevices, where the communication device and the plurality ofcommunication devices are among a group of devices associated with auser. The processor can obtain operational capability information forthe plurality of communication devices, and can generate a first usageprofile for the communication device based on monitoring first activityat the communication device, where the first activity being monitoredincludes first media consumption and first communication sessions, andwhere the monitoring of the first activity includes identifying time andlocation data for the first activity. The processor can obtain otherusage profiles for each of the plurality of communication devices, wherethe other usage profiles are generated by a corresponding one of theplurality of communication devices based on monitoring other activity atthe corresponding one of the plurality of communication devices, wherethe other activity being monitored includes other media consumption andother communication sessions, and where the monitoring of the otheractivity includes identifying time and location data for the otheractivity. The processor can obtain state information for each of theplurality of communication devices, wherein the state informationincludes current power information and active communication sessioninformation. The processor can adjust a device preference among thegroup of devices for presenting media services based on the presenceinformation, the operational capability information, the other usageprofiles, and the state information.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a computer-readablestorage device comprising computer instructions which, responsive tobeing executed by a processor of a first communication device, cause theprocessor to perform operations including obtaining presence informationassociated with a plurality of communication devices, where the firstcommunication device and the plurality of communication devices areassociated with a user. The processor can obtain operational capabilityinformation for the plurality of communication devices, where theoperational capability information includes media service capabilitiesand formatting capabilities. The processor can obtain usage profiles forthe plurality of communication devices, where each of the usage profilesis generated by one communication device of the plurality ofcommunication devices based on monitoring activity at the onecommunication device, where the activity being monitored includes mediaconsumption and communication sessions. The processor can obtain stateinformation for each of the plurality of communication devices, wherethe state information includes current power information. The processorcan adjust a first device persona of the first communication devicebased on the presence information, the operational capabilityinformation, the usage profiles, and the state information, where thefirst device persona controls functions performed by the firstcommunication device.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 100that includes a communication device 110 and a plurality of othercommunication devices 120. Various other devices that facilitate orotherwise may enable communication between the devices 110, 120 are notshown, but one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that othercomponents, including network elements (e.g., routers, switches,servers, wireless access points, base stations, femtocells and so forth)and customer premises equipment (e.g., gateways, modems, and so forth)can be used in system 100. The device 110 and other devices 120 can beassociated with a user 130 (or a group of users). The user associationcan be in various forms such as a registered owner of the device, aregistered user of the device, a guest user of the device and so forth.The devices 110, 120 can be various types of devices including one ormore of mobile devices, laptop computers, desktop computers, tablets,media processors (e.g., a set top box), interactive televisions withinternet capabilities, vehicle communication systems, and so forth. Itshould be understood that device 110, and devices 120 can be any typesof communication devices, although for purposes of the examplesdescribed herein, device 110 will be described as a mobile device.

Each of the devices 110, 120 can have a device persona which isindicative of the functions that the device performs within the group ofuser devices. These functions can be exclusive, such as the interactivetelevision device 120 being designated for presenting high-definitionmovies, or can be non-exclusive, such as both the mobile device 110 andthe vehicle communication device 120 being designated for receivingincoming telephone calls. In one or more embodiment, the device personacan be the policies or rules of the device that control, dictate orotherwise describe performance of the functions by the device. In otherembodiments, the device persona can be the role that the particulardevice has taken among the group of devices in performing exclusive ornon-exclusive media service functions.

In one embodiment of system 100, presence information, operationalcapability information, usage profiles and/or state information can beshared among a group of user devices (devices 110, 120) or a subset ofthe group. The usage profiles can be generated by each of thecommunication devices 110, 120 locally based on monitoring its ownactivity. The activity being monitored can include media consumptionand/or communication sessions. The monitoring of the activity caninclude identifying time and/or location data for the activity. Thestate information can include current power information and/or activecommunication session information. System 100 enables or otherwisefacilitates adjustment of device preference(s) among the group ofdevices 110, 120 for presenting or providing media services based on thepresence information, the operational capability information, the otherusage profiles, and/or the state information. This can be accomplishedvia the adjustment of device personas for the devices. In oneembodiment, the operational capability information can include mediaservice capabilities and/or formatting capabilities.

In one embodiment, a first usage profile can be transmitted from thecommunication device 110 to a second communication device of theplurality of communication devices 120 to enable the secondcommunication device to adjust a device persona for the secondcommunication device, where the device persona controls functionsperformed by the second communication device. In one embodiment, thedevice 110 can generate a device persona based on the presenceinformation, the operational capability information, the usage profiles,and/or the state information, where the device persona controlsfunctions performed by a second communication device of the plurality ofcommunication devices 120, and transmitting the device persona from thefirst communication device to the second communication device. In oneembodiment, the functions controlled by the device persona can includebeing selected as a preferred device for presentation of media services.In one embodiment, the state information can include current storagecapacity information, current signal strength, and/or inactiveconnections.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 200that includes device 110 and a plurality of communication devices 120.Device 110 and devices 120 can be any type of customer premisesequipment including end user devices. While two devices 120 areillustrated, it should be understood that any number of user devices canbe included in a group of devices associated with a user or group ofusers. Various other devices that facilitate or otherwise may enablecommunication between the devices 110, 120 are not shown, but one ofordinary skill in the art would understand that other components,including network elements (e.g., routers, switches, servers, wirelessaccess points, base stations, femtocells and so forth) and customerpremises equipment (e.g., gateways, modems, and so forth) can be used insystem 200.

In one embodiment of system 200, device 110 can obtain presenceinformation, operational capability information, usage profiles and/orstate information associated with the devices 120. The usage profilescan be generated by each of the communication devices 120 based onmonitoring activity at the particular device. The activity beingmonitored can include media consumption and/or communication sessions.The monitoring of the activity can include identifying time and locationdata for the activity. System 200 enables or facilitates adjusting ofone or more device personas based on the presence information, theoperational capability information, the other usage profiles, and/or thestate information. The device persona(s) can control or otherwisedescribe functions performed by the devices 110 and/or 120.

In one embodiment, the operational capability information can includemedia service capabilities and/or formatting capabilities. In oneembodiment, the state information can include current power information,current storage capacity information, active communication sessioninformation and/or current signal strength. In one embodiment, thedevice 110 can transmit its usage profile to one or more of theplurality of communication devices 120 to enable or otherwise facilitatethe communication device(s) 120 to adjust its corresponding devicepersona, where the corresponding device persona controls or otherwisedescribes functions performed by that communication device. In oneembodiment, the functions controlled by the device persona(s) includebeing selected as a preferred device (exclusively or non-exclusively)for presentation of media services.

In one embodiment, the device 110 can generate a second device personabased on the presence information, the operational capabilityinformation, the usage profiles, and/or the state information, where thesecond device persona controls functions performed by a secondcommunication device of the plurality of communication devices 120, andcan transmit the second device persona from the device 110 to the secondcommunication device 120. In one embodiment, the functions controlled bythe second device persona can include being selected as a preferreddevice for presentation of media services, wherein the device 110 is notselected as the preferred device. In one embodiment, the obtaining ofthe presence information associated with the plurality of communicationdevices 120 can include capturing an image, analyzing the imageutilizing pattern recognition to identify a second communication device,and determining that the second communication device is among theplurality of communication devices associated with the user.

In one embodiment, the device 110 can receive updated state informationfrom a second communication device of the plurality of communicationdevices 120, where the updated state information is received in responseto a forced shutdown at the second communication device. In oneembodiment, the device 110 can identify a conflicting function in afirst device persona and in a second device persona of differentdevices, and can communicate with the second communication device toresolve the conflicting function between the first and second devicepersona so that one of the devices 110, 120 is designated to perform theconflicting function. In one embodiment, the first device persona andthe corresponding device persona collectively provide a prioritized listof preferred devices for providing media services to the user.

The sharing of information between the devices in system 200 can betriggered based on various events. For example a schedule, such as aperiodic, can be utilized for transmitting information between devices.In another embodiment, a triggering event can be detected and can causethe transmission of the information. For instance, a remaining powerthreshold or remaining storage capacity threshold can be used fortriggering the transmission of a change of state for a device. Differentschedules and/or triggering events can be used for different types ofinformation. For instance, presence information can be exchanged everytime there is a detection of a change to presence of a device whileusage profiles can be shared based on a periodic schedule. In oneembodiment, a combination of periodic information exchange andtriggering event exchange can be utilized. For example, usage profilescan be exchanged based on a pre-defined schedule and additional usageprofiles can be transmitted by a particular device if the device detectsthat a usage threshold has been met such as transmitting an additionalusage profile indicating that the particular device has been utilizedfor presenting high-definition movies for more than ten hours in a week.Some of the information exchange may utilize an exchange schedule thatis more frequent than others, such as frequently exchanging stateinformation but infrequently exchanging capability information.

System 200 illustrates an exchange of information between all of thedevices 110, 120. However, various data flow paths can be utilized inexchanging information. For example, if device 110 is utilized as amaster device for generating and configuring all of the device personasthen all of the information can be transmitted from devices 120 todevice 110 without devices 120 exchanging information with each other.In another embodiment, a subset of the devices can receive theinformation. In another embodiment, routing for information exchange canbe dynamic. For example, all of the information can be sent to eachdevice while each device is enabled with the capability to determine itsown device persona but when that capability is withdrawn (e.g., thedevice is switched to a slave device that receives its device personafrom another device) then the slave device no longer receives theinformation.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 300 that can beused by one or more of devices 110, 120 of FIGS. 1 and 2. Method 300 canbegin at 302 where presence information associated with communicationdevices of a user is obtained or otherwise shared. The presenceinformation can be provided to all of the user communication devices orto one or more designated user devices (e.g., a master user device). Inthis example, the user devices are associated with a user or group ofusers, such as the first communication device 110 and the plurality ofcommunication devices 120 of FIGS. 1 and 2. The presence information canbe obtained in a number of different ways or combination of ways. Forexample, presence information can be received directly from userdevices, such as intermittent presence broadcast signals. In anotherembodiment, a back-end server can transmit presence information to theuser devices such as based on monitoring of network elements that areproviding communication sessions for the user devices. In anotherexample, the presence information can be generated based on patternrecognition being applied to captured content of one or more of the userdevices. For example, a camera, such as of mobile device 110 or Googleglasses, can capture an image of the user and analyze the image todetect any communication devices in proximity to the user, such as a newwatch being worn by the user that includes communication capability. Theanalysis can be used to identify the watch and identify that the watchshould be included in the group of devices that are associated with theuser. In another example, the user can input information to one or moreof the user devices to indicate that a new communication device can beassociated with the user, such as when the user purchases a newinteractive television. The user devices can also share presenceinformation that has been received. For instance, the mobile device 110can receive a notification from the network indicating that the vehiclecommunication system 120 is in proximity to the mobile device. This cancause the mobile device 110 to transmit messages to each (or a portion)of the other user devices to advise those devices of the presence of thevehicle communication system 120.

At 304, operational capability information can be obtained or otherwiseshared for the plurality of communication devices. The sharing can belimited to a single device (e.g., a master device) or can be among aportion or all of the group of user devices. The operational capabilityinformation can include media services that the device can provide,formatting capabilities, compatible communication protocols, and soforth. The operational capability information can be received directlyfrom user devices, such as the media device 110 requesting a list ofcapabilities from the interactive television 120 upon detecting thepresence of the television. In another embodiment, a back-end server cantransmit the capability information to the user devices such as based ondevice profiles stored in a database that are indexed to the particularuser. In another example, the device capabilities can be determinedbased on network searches according to identification for the userdevice, such as a model number of the tablet 120. In another example,the user can input the capability information to one or more of the userdevices to indicate that a new communication device is associated withthe user, and that the new device has particular capabilities. The userdevices can also share operational capability information that has beenreceived. For instance, the mobile device 110 can receive a notificationfrom the vehicle communication system 120 that the vehicle communicationsystem is capable of presenting high-definition movies. This can causethe mobile device 110 to transmit messages to each (or a portion) of theother user devices to advise those devices of the capabilities of thevehicle communication system 120.

At 306, usage profiles can be obtained or otherwise shared for theplurality of communication devices. The sharing can be limited to asingle device (e.g., a master device) or can be among a portion or allof the group of user devices. The usage profiles can be generated byeach of the communication devices based on monitoring its own activity.The activity can be various forms such as media consumption,communication sessions, applications being executed, web surfing and soforth. The monitoring of the activity can include identifying time andlocation data for the activity, as well as collecting other data such astypes or genre of media being presented at the device. The usage profilecan include synthesizing the data to determine usage patterns for thedevice. For instance, the usage profile can determine a pattern ofwatching high-definition movies on the mobile device 110 while themobile device is moving rapidly (determined from base stationhand-overs) and is in proximity to the vehicle communication system 120.In one or more embodiments, the transmitting or otherwise providing ofthe usage profiles can be based on a schedule, such as periodictransmissions of the usage profiles among the group of devices 110, 120.In another embodiment, the transmitting or otherwise providing of theusage profiles can be based on a change in usage that satisfies a usagethreshold of the device. For example, the mobile device 110 may have ahistory of never presenting more than 30 minutes of high definitionmovies per week. A threshold may be set so that if the mobile device 110presents more than 30 minutes of high definition movies in a week thenthe usage pattern is distributed or otherwise shared with the other userdevices. These thresholds can be established based on user preference,monitored user history, device capabilities, functions being performedby the device, and so forth.

At 308, state information can be obtained or otherwise shared for theplurality of communication devices. The sharing can be limited to asingle device (e.g., a master device) or can be among a portion, or all,of the group of user devices. The state information can be various formsof information and can include current power information (e.g.,remaining battery power), current storage capacity information (e.g.,remaining usable memory), active communication session information(e.g., wireless and/or wired ongoing communication sessions), inactiveconnections, current signal strength, connection bandwidth, and soforth. In one or more embodiments, the transmitting or otherwiseproviding of the state information can be based on a schedule, such asperiodic transmissions of state information among the group of devices110, 120. In another embodiment, the transmitting or otherwise providingof the state information can be based on a change of state at one of thedevices. For instance, the mobile device 110 may cross the threshold of20 percent remaining battery which triggers a sharing of stateinformation by the mobile device to the other devices via a wirelesstransmission from the mobile device to the other devices. The triggeringevent for the sharing of the state information can vary and can be basedon thresholds which can vary depending on the particular device. Forexample, a mobile device 110 that has a two hour battery life mayutilize a 20 percent threshold as its triggering event for sending out achange of state message while a laptop computer 120 that has a six hourbattery life may utilize a 5 percent threshold as its triggering eventfor sending out a change of state message. These thresholds can beestablished based on user preference, monitored user history, devicecapabilities, functions being performed by the device, and so forth.

At 310, device persona(s) for one or more of the user devices can beadjusted based on the various information that has been obtained, suchas the presence information, the operational capability information, theusage profiles, and/or the state information. As an example, the mobiledevice 110 can adjust its own device persona based on the presenceinformation, the operational capability information, the other usageprofiles, and/or the state information received from the other userdevices 120, where the device persona controls functions performed bythe mobile device 110. The adjustment of the device persona can be invarious forms. For instance, the adjustment to the device persona can betaking on a new or modified role among the group of devices. Forexample, the mobile device 110 can adjust its device persona such thatit becomes a preferred device among the group of devices for performinga particular media service, such as presenting high-definition movies.In this example, a previous preferred device, such as the interactivetelevision 120 can modify its own device persona so that it is no longerthe preferred device for presenting the high-definition movies. Theadjustment of the device persona is not limited to distributingexclusive functions to certain devices among the group of user devices.The group of user devices can share designations as preferred devicesfor certain media services. For instance, the mobile device 110 and thevehicle communication system 120 can both be designated as preferreddevices for receiving incoming calls. In this example, the user can thenselect among the two preferred devices for answering the call. Inanother embodiment, the media function can be split between devices. Forexample, the mobile device 110 can be designated as the preferred devicefor presenting audio content corresponding to a high definition moviewhile the vehicle communication system 120 is designated as thepreferred device for presenting video content for the high-definitionmovie.

Method 300 can be performed as a distributed system whereby each of thecommunication devices receives the various information (e.g., presence,operational capability, usage profiles, state) from the other devices,and adjusts its own device persona. In this embodiment, conflictingfunctions can be generated based on the persona modifications. Forinstance, state information may be received indicating that theinteractive television 120 has lost its wireless connection fordownloading video-on-demand content. Based on this change of state forthe interactive television, both the mobile device 110 and the desktopcomputer 120 may adjust their own device personas to be the preferreddevice for accessing and presenting the video-on-demand content. Thisconflicting function can be resolved based on communication between themobile device 110 and the desktop computer 120. For instance, acomparison of the mobile device state information and the desktopcomputer state information may indicate that the mobile device has onehour of battery power left. Other factors, such as a history of themobile device receiving incoming calls during the time period in whichthe video-on-demand content would be presented, may also play a factorin resolving the conflicting function. In one or more embodiments, theconflicting functions can be resolved based on user preferences betweenparticular devices for particular functions that are designated by theuser, such as a user designating that it is preferable to watch thevideo-on-demand content on the bigger display of the desktop computer120 rather than the smaller display of the mobile device 110. However,there may be other instances when the user preferences are notdeterminative of a resolution to a conflicting function, such as wherethe desktop computer 120 is scheduled for a virus scan which would occurduring the presentation of the video-on-demand content.

In one or more embodiments, the adjustment of the device personas can beperformed in a centralized fashion, such as based on a master/slaverelationship between the group of devices. As an example, the mobiledevice 110 can be a designated master device while the other userdevices are designated slave devices. The mobile device 110 can adjustits own device persona and can also generate persona adjustments thatare transmitted to the other user devices. In this example, the sharingof information can be limited to providing the presence information,operational capability information, usage profiles, and stateinformation to the mobile device 110 so that the mobile device candetermine all of the device person adjustments that are to be made. Inanother embodiment, the adjustments of device personas can be dividedbetween a centralized technique and a distributed technique. Forinstance, designation of preferred devices for performing particularmedia services can be made by a single master device of the group ofuser devices but other adjustments to the device personas can be made bythe individual devices, such as other device behavior, notificationcontrols, call routing, GUI arrangements, and so forth.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system 400for delivering media content. The communication system 400 can representan Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media system. Communicationsystem 400 can be overlaid or operably coupled with systems 100 and/or200 figure of FIG. 1 and/or 2 as another representative embodiment ofcommunication system 400.

System 400 enables one or more device personas of end user devices toadapt to the presence, capabilities, state, and/or usage patterns ofother end user devices. The device personas can adapt, either at theinstruction of the particular end user device or at the instruction ofanother device, as other end user devices evolve or otherwise changesuch as through how they are being used, how their capabilities haveimproved or diminished, new devices that are available, user preferencesand so forth. System 400 enables a group of communication devicesassociated with a user to share various information with each other, orwith a subset of the group, so that device personas can be collectivelyadjusted. Functionality for the end user devices can be designated topreferred devices among the group based on various learned factors, suchas user preferences detected via monitoring usage patterns of the groupof devices. Other factors can also be utilized in system 400 foridentifying preferred devices amongst the group of device for performingparticular functions such as identifying devices with optimumcapabilities and/or resources for performing the particular function,identifying devices that are otherwise busy (e.g., engaged in an activecommunication session), identifying devices with limited battery power,limited storage capacity and/or limited signal strength, and so forth.

The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 410 withat least one super headend office server (SHS) 411 which receives mediacontent from satellite and/or terrestrial communication systems. In thepresent context, media content can represent, for example, audiocontent, moving image content such as 2D or 3D videos, video games,virtual reality content, still image content, and combinations thereof.The SHS server 411 can forward packets associated with the media contentto one or more video head-end servers (VHS) 414 via a network of videohead-end offices (VHO) 412 according to a multicast communicationprotocol.

The VHS 414 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 418 to commercial and/or residential buildings 402 housing agateway 404 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 418 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over fiber optical links orcopper twisted pairs 419 to buildings 402. The gateway 404 can usecommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 406 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 408 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 407 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 404, the media processors 406, and media devices 408 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth, Zigbee, or other present ornext generation local or personal area wireless network technologies. Byway of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 406 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 429 can be used in the mediasystem of FIG. 4. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 400. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 415 that include mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 431 coupled to thebuilding 402. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver431 can be transferred to the media processors 406 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 408. The media processors 406 can be equipped with a broadbandport to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 432 to enableinteractive services such as VoD and EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 433 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system400. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 433 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services.

The subject disclosure can apply to other present or next generationover-the-air and/or landline media content services system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 430, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over the ISP network 432 towireline media devices 408 or wireless communication devices 416.

Communication system 400 can also provide for all or a portion of thecomputing devices 430 to function as a persona server (herein referredto as server 430). The server 430 can use computing and communicationtechnology to perform function 462, which can include among otherthings, facilitating the obtaining or distributing of presenceinformation, operational capability information, usage profiles and/orstate information for the group of user devices. The server 430 canperform some or all of the device persona adjustments described abovewith respect to systems 100 and 200 and method 300. For example, theserver 430 can resolve a conflicting function between two or more userdevices that arose based on adjustments to device personas in the group.The server 420 can also adjust portions of a device persona for one ormore devices of the group of user devices. For instance, the server 430can adjust device personas for all of the devices so as to designatepreferred devices for exclusive functions or non-exclusive functionswhile the devices retain the responsibility of adjusting the remainingportion of the device personas, such as for other device behavior, callrouting, notification control and so forth. The media processors (e.g.,set top box) 406 and wireless communication devices 416 can beprovisioned with software function 464 to access various information(e.g., presence information, operational capability information, usageprofiles and/or state information), adjust device personas and/orutilize the services of server 430. In one embodiment of system 400, auser can designate one of his or her devices as a master device thatretains priority decision making control, such as resolving conflictingfunctions for the group of devices, designating preferred devices amongthe group and/or generating device persons for one or more other devicesof the group of devices.

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 417 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other present and next generation wide area wireless access networktechnologies can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 500.Communication device 500 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1-2 and 4.Device 500 can obtain presence information associated with a pluralityof communication devices, where the device 500 and the plurality ofcommunication devices are among a group of devices associated with auser. Device 500 can obtain operational capability information for theplurality of communication devices. Device 500 can generate a firstusage profile for the communication device based on monitoring firstactivity at the communication device, where the first activity beingmonitored includes first media consumption and first communicationsessions, and where the monitoring of the first activity includesidentifying time and location data for the first activity. Device 500can obtain other usage profiles for each of the plurality ofcommunication devices, where the other usage profiles are generated by acorresponding one of the plurality of communication devices based onmonitoring other activity at the corresponding one of the plurality ofcommunication devices, where the other activity being monitored includesother media consumption and other communication sessions, and where themonitoring of the other activity includes identifying time and locationdata for the other activity. Device 500 can obtain state information foreach of the plurality of communication devices, where the stateinformation includes current power information and active communicationsession information. Device 500 can adjust a device preference among thegroup of devices for presenting media services based on the presenceinformation, the operational capability information, the other usageprofiles, and the state information.

To enable these device persona adjusting features, communication device500 can comprise a wireline and/or wireless transceiver 502 (hereintransceiver 502), a user interface (UI) 504, a power supply 514, alocation receiver 516, a motion sensor 518, an orientation sensor 520,and a controller 506 for managing operations thereof. The transceiver502 can support short-range or long-range wireless access technologiessuch as Bluetooth, ZigBee, WiFi, DECT, or cellular communicationtechnologies, just to mention a few. Cellular technologies can include,for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX,SDR, LTE, as well as other next generation wireless communicationtechnologies as they arise. The transceiver 502 can also be adapted tosupport circuit-switched wireline access technologies (such as PSTN),packet-switched wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP,etc.), and combinations thereof.

The UI 504 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 508 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device500. The keypad 508 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 500 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 508 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 504 can further include a display510 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 500. In anembodiment where the display 510 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 508 can be presented by way of the display 510 withnavigation features.

The display 510 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 500 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 510 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 510 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 500 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 504 can also include an audio system 512 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 512 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 512 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI504 can further include an image sensor 513 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 514 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 500 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 516 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 500 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 518can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 500 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 520 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device500 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 500 can use the transceiver 502 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 506 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 500.

Other components not shown in FIG. 5 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 500 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 506 of the communication device 500. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 500 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 500 to force thecommunication device 500 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 500 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 500 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 5. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The communication device 500 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 406, the media devices 408, or the portablecommunication devices 416 of FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 500 can also represent other devices that canoperate in communication system 400 of FIG. 4 such as a gaming consoleand a media player.

The communication device 500 shown in FIG. 5 or portions thereof canserve as a representation of one or more of the devices of systems 100and/or 200 of FIGS. 1 and/or 2, and/or communication system 400. Inaddition, the controller 506 can be adapted in various embodiments toperform the functions 462-464.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. For example, device person adjustments can bemade based on network status information that is received from thenetwork by one or more of the devices of the group of user devices. Forexample, the mobile device 110 may be designated as the preferred devicefor receiving incoming calls. The desktop computer 120 may receivenetwork status information that indicates there is a network overloadcausing call dropping that would effect communication sessions for themobile device 110. Based on this network status information, the desktopcomputer 120 and the mobile device 110 can adjust their respectivedevice personas so that the desktop computer becomes the preferreddevice for receiving incoming communications for the user.

In one embodiment, the group of user devices can utilize a master/slavearrangement where the master device generates and configures all of thedevice person for the entire group of devices. In another embodiment,the master/slave arrangement can be dynamic such that the particulardevice functioning as the master device can change based on thecircumstances. For example, user preferences and/or user input candesignate a particular device as a master device. In another embodiment,presence information, capability information, usage profiles and/orstate information can be utilized in determining whether a particulardevice should be designated as the master device.

In one embodiment, the adjustment of device persona is not limited toend user devices and can include other customer premises equipmentassociated with the user. For example, a residential gateway can have adevice persona which is adjusted based on the presence information, theoperational capability information, the usage profiles and/or the stateinformation. For instance, the residential gateway device persona candistribute media content to a set top box without adjusting the content.However, based upon an adjustment to the device persona of theresidential gateway, the residential gateway can commence transcoding ofthe content for distribution to other devices. In this example, thedevice persona of the residential gateway changed from being a simplerouter of content to being a controller of the format of content that isbeing distributed to the other devices. The adjustment of the gatewaypersona can be based on the various information received, such asreceiving state information from the set top box that indicates the settop box is currently utilizing a large amount of resources (e.g., due toa large download) and could use assistance in changing formats ofcontent that it will receive. Other embodiments can be used in thesubject disclosure.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 600 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods describe above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the devices 110, 120, the server 430, the mediaprocessor 406, the wireless devices 416 and other devices describedherein. The machine can perform device persona adjustment based on thevarious information described herein including presence information,operational capability information, usage profiles and/or stateinformation. The machine can also engage in the sharing or providing ofthe various information described above. In some embodiments, themachine may be connected (e.g., using a network 626) to other machines.In a networked deployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of aserver or a client user machine in server-client user networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 600 may include a processor (or controller) 602(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU,or both), a main memory 604 and a static memory 606, which communicatewith each other via a bus 608. The computer system 600 may furtherinclude a display unit 610 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flatpanel, or a solid state display. The computer system 600 may include aninput device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 614 (e.g.,a mouse), a disk drive unit 616, a signal generation device 618 (e.g., aspeaker or remote control) and a network interface device 620. Indistributed environments, the embodiments described in the subjectdisclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units 610controlled by two or more computer systems 600. In this configuration,presentations described by the subject disclosure may in part be shownin a first of the display units 610, while the remaining portion ispresented in a second of the display units 610.

The disk drive unit 616 may include a tangible computer-readable storagemedium 622 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 624) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 624 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 604, the static memory 606, and/or within theprocessor 602 during execution thereof by the computer system 600. Themain memory 604 and the processor 602 also may constitute tangiblecomputer-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices that can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) can include, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. It is furthernoted that a computing device such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations or methods may perform such operations directly or indirectlyby way of one or more intermediate devices directed by the computingdevice.

While the tangible computer-readable storage medium 622 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblecomputer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure. The term “non-transitory” as in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage includes memories, drives, devices andanything tangible but not a signal per se.

The term “tangible computer-readable storage medium” shall accordinglybe taken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such asa memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible computer-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, Zigbee), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 600.

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,can be used in the subject disclosure. Additionally, features such ascomponents or steps that are positively recited in one or more of theexemplary embodiments can also be expressly excluded from the exemplaryembodiments.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: obtaining, by a firstcommunication device including a processor, presence informationassociated with a plurality of communication devices, wherein the firstcommunication device and the plurality of communication devices areassociated with a user; obtaining, by the first communication device,operational capability information for the plurality of communicationdevices; generating, by the first communication device, a first usageprofile for the first communication device based on monitoring firstactivity at the first communication device, wherein the first activitybeing monitored includes first media consumption and first communicationsessions, and wherein the monitoring of the first activity includesidentifying time and location data for the first activity; obtaining, bythe first communication device, other usage profiles for the pluralityof communication devices, wherein each respective other usage profile isgenerated by a corresponding one communication device of the pluralityof communication devices based on monitoring other activity at thecorresponding one communication device, wherein the other activity beingmonitored includes other media consumption and other communicationsessions, and wherein the monitoring of the other activity includesidentifying time and location data for the other activity; obtaining, bythe first communication device, state information for each of theplurality of communication devices; adjusting, by the firstcommunication device, a first device persona of the first communicationdevice based on the presence information, the operational capabilityinformation, the other usage profiles, and the state information,wherein the first device persona controls functions performed by thefirst communication device; and transmitting the first usage profilefrom the first communication device to the plurality of communicationdevices.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational capabilityinformation includes media service capabilities and formattingcapabilities, and wherein the state information includes current powerinformation, current storage capacity information, active communicationsession information and current signal strength.
 3. The method of claim2, wherein the transmitting of the first usage profile to the pluralityof communication devices enables each of the plurality of communicationdevices to adjust a corresponding device persona, wherein each of thecorresponding device persona controls functions performed by one of theplurality of communication devices.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe functions controlled by the first device persona include beingselected as a preferred device for presentation of first media services,wherein the plurality of devices is not selected as the preferreddevice.
 5. The method of claim 1, comprising: generating, by the firstcommunication device, a second device persona based on the presenceinformation, the operational capability information, the other usageprofiles, and the state information, wherein the second device personacontrols functions performed by a second communication device of theplurality of communication devices; and transmitting the second devicepersona from the first communication device to the second communicationdevice.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the functions controlled bythe second device persona include being selected as a preferred devicefor presentation of second media services, wherein the firstcommunication device is not selected as the preferred device.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the presence informationassociated with the plurality of communication devices comprises:capturing, by the first communication device, an image; analyzing, bythe first communication device, the image utilizing pattern recognitionto identify a second communication device; and determining that thesecond communication device is among the plurality of communicationdevices associated with the user.
 8. The method of claim 1, comprisingreceiving, by the first communication device, updated state informationfrom a second communication device of the plurality of communicationdevices, wherein the updated state information is received in responseto a forced shutdown at the second communication device.
 9. The methodof claim 1, comprising: identifying, by the first communication device,a conflicting function in the first device persona and in a seconddevice persona of a second communication device of the plurality ofcommunication devices, wherein the second device persona is generated bythe second communication device based on the presence information, theoperational capability information, the other usage profiles, and thestate information; and communicating between the first and secondcommunication devices to resolve the conflicting function between thefirst and second device persona so that one of the first or secondcommunication devices is designated to perform the conflicting function.10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device persona and thecorresponding device persona collectively provide a prioritized list ofpreferred devices for providing media services to the user.
 11. Acommunication device comprising: a memory to store executableinstructions; and a processor coupled with the memory, wherein theprocessor, responsive to executing the executable instructions, performsoperations comprising: obtaining other usage profiles for each of aplurality of communication devices, wherein the communication device andthe plurality of communication devices are among a group of devicesassociated with a user, wherein each respective other usage profile isgenerated by a corresponding one communication device of the pluralityof communication devices based on monitoring other activity at thecorresponding one communication device, wherein the other activity beingmonitored includes other media consumption and other communicationsessions, and wherein the monitoring of the other activity includesidentifying time and location data for the other activity; obtainingstate information for each of the plurality of communication devices,wherein the state information includes current power information andactive communication session information; and adjusting a devicepreference among the group of devices for presenting media servicesbased on the other usage profiles and the state information.
 12. Thecommunication device of claim 11, wherein the operations furthercomprise obtaining operational capability information for the pluralityof communication devices, wherein the operational capability informationincludes media service capabilities and formatting capabilities.
 13. Thecommunication device of claim 11, wherein the operations furthercomprise: generating a first usage profile for the communication devicebased on monitoring first activity at the communication device, whereinthe first activity being monitored includes first media consumption andfirst communication sessions, and wherein the monitoring of the firstactivity includes identifying time and location data for the firstactivity; and transmitting the first usage profile from thecommunication device to a second communication device of the pluralityof communication devices to enable the second communication device toadjust a device persona for the second communication device, wherein thedevice persona controls functions performed by the second communicationdevice.
 14. The communication device of claim 11, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: obtaining presence information associated with theplurality of communication devices; obtaining operational capabilityinformation for the plurality of communication devices; generating adevice persona based on the presence information, the operationalcapability information, the other usage profiles, and the stateinformation, wherein the device persona controls functions performed bya second communication device of the plurality of communication devices;and transmitting the device persona from the communication device to thesecond communication device.
 15. The communication device of claim 14,wherein the functions controlled by the device persona include beingselected as a preferred device for presentation of second mediaservices, wherein the communication device is not selected as thepreferred device.
 16. The communication device of claim 11, wherein thestate information includes at least one of current storage capacityinformation, current signal strength, or inactive connections.
 17. Acomputer-readable storage device comprising computer instructions which,responsive to being executed by a processor of a first communicationdevice, cause the processor to perform operations comprising: obtainingoperational capability information for a plurality of communicationdevices, wherein the first communication device and the plurality ofcommunication devices are associated with a user, wherein theoperational capability information includes media service capabilitiesand formatting capabilities; obtaining usage profiles for the pluralityof communication devices, wherein each respective usage profile isgenerated by a corresponding one communication device of the pluralityof communication devices based on monitoring activity at thecorresponding one communication device, wherein the activity beingmonitored includes media consumption and communication sessions; andadjusting a first device persona of the first communication device basedon the operational capability information and the usage profiles,wherein the first device persona controls functions performed by thefirst communication device.
 18. The computer-readable storage device ofclaim 17, wherein the operations further comprise: obtaining presenceinformation associated with a plurality of communication devices,wherein the adjusting of the first device persona of the firstcommunication device is based on the presence information; generating afirst usage profile for the first communication device based onmonitoring activity at the first communication device, wherein theactivity being monitored includes media consumption and communicationsessions; transmitting the first usage profile from the firstcommunication device to a second communication device of the pluralityof communication devices to enable the second communication device toadjust a second device persona for the second communication device,wherein the second device persona controls functions performed by thesecond communication device.
 19. The computer-readable storage device ofclaim 17, wherein the operations further comprise: obtaining stateinformation for each of the plurality of communication devices, whereinthe state information includes current power information; generating asecond device persona based on the operational capability information,the usage profiles, and the state information, wherein the second devicepersona controls functions performed by a second communication device ofthe plurality of communication devices; and transmitting the seconddevice persona from the first communication device to the secondcommunication device.
 20. The computer-readable storage device of claim17, wherein the operations further comprise obtaining state informationfor each of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the stateinformation includes current power information, wherein the monitoringof the activity includes identifying time and location data for theactivity, and wherein the state information includes at least one ofactive communication session information, current storage capacityinformation, current signal strength, or inactive connections.